Buddha

Practice Meetings

Thursday July 31, 8:30am

Friday Aug 1, 7:00pm

This Week’s Koan

Blue Cliff Record #59
Joshu’s Why Not Quote to the End?

A monk asked Joshu, “The Far-reaching Way is without difficulty, only rejecting picking and choosing.  Just when there is language there is picking and choosing. So what is used for people, Venerable?”

Joshu said “Why don’t you quote these words to the end?”

The monk said, “I only recall up to this part.”

Joshu said, “Only this, The Far-reaching Way is without difficulty, only rejecting picking and choosing.”

Chögyam Trungpa

Practice Meetings

Thursday July 17, 8:30am

Friday July 18, 7:00pm

This Week’s Koan

Blue Cliff Record #57
Joshu Alone and Honored

A monk asked Joshu, “The Far-reaching Way is without difficulty, only rejecting picking and choosing. So what doesn’t pick and choose?”

Joshu said, “Above the heavens, below the heavens, only I, alone and honored.”

The monk said, “This is tantamount to picking and choosing.”

Joshu said, “You field-and-village slave, where is picking and choosing?”

The monk was speechless.

Practice Meetings

Thursday June 26, 8:30am

Friday June 27, 7:00pm

This Week’s Koan

Blue Cliff Record #45
Joshu’s Cotton Jacket

A monk asked Joshu: “The 10,000 things return (as their origin point) to the one. To what place does the one return?”

Joshu said, “I was at Qing Province and made one piece of clothing: a cotton jacket weighing 7 pounds.”

Practice Meetings

Thursday June 19, 8:30am

Friday June 20, 7:00pm

This Week’s Koan

Blue Cliff Record #41, Book of Serenity #63
Joshu’s Great Death

Joshu asked Touzi, “So, what about the time when the person of great death returns to the living?”

Touzi said, “It is not permitted to go traveling by night; the light must be cast to arrive.”

Practice Meetings

Thursday May 29, 8:30am

Friday May 30, 7:00pm

This Week’s Koan

Blue Cliff Record #2
The Real Way is Not Difficult

Joshu, instructing the assembly, said, “‘The Far-reaching Way is without difficulty, only rejecting picking and choosing.’  Only when there is language is there choosing or is there clarity. An old monk does not exist within clarity.  Are you still fond of taking sides or not?”

At that time a monk had a question: “Since one does not exist within clarity, what part of taking of sides is there to be fond of?”

Joshu said, “I too do not know.”

Monk said,  “Venerable, since you do not know, why do you yet say you ‘do not exist within clarity’?”

Joshu said, “By asking, you are able to draw near the matter; complete the ceremonial bowing and withdraw.”

Practice Meetings

Thursday May 22, 8:30am

Friday May 23, 7:00pm

This Week’s Koan

Gateless Gate #37, Book of Serenity #47
The Oak Tree In The Garden

A monk asked Joshu, “What is the meaning of the patriarch’s coming from the West?”

Joshu said, “The oak tree there in the garden.”

Practice Meetings

Thursday May 8, 8:30am

Friday May 9, 7:00pm

This Week’s Koan

Gateless Gate #31, Book of Serenity #10
Joshu Examines an Old Woman

A monk asked an old woman, “What is the way to Taisan?”

The old woman said, “Go straight on.”

When the monk had proceeded a few steps, she said, “A good, respectable monk, but he too goes that way.”

Afterward someone told Joshu about this.

Joshu said, “Wait a bit, I will go and investigate the old woman for you.”

The next day he went and asked the same question, and the old woman gave the same answer.

On returning, Joshu said to his disciples, “I have investigated the old woman of Taisan for you.”

Practice Meetings

Thursday May 1, 8:30am

Friday May 2, 7:00pm

This Week’s Koan

Gateless Gate #11
Joshu Sees the Hermits

Joshu went to a hermit’s cottage and asked, “Is the master in? Is the master in?”

The hermit raised his fist.

Joshu said, “The water is too shallow to anchor here,” and he went away.

Coming to another hermit’s cottage, he asked again, “Is the master in? Is the master in?”

This hermit, too, raised his fist.

Joshu said, “Free to give, free to take, free to kill, free to save,” and he made a deep bow.

Practice Meetings

Thursday Apr 24, 8:30am

Friday Apr 25, 7:00pm

This Week’s Koan

Gateless Gate #7, Book of Serenity #39
Wash Your Bowl

A monk said to Joshu, “I have just entered this monastery. Please teach me.”

“Have you eaten your rice porridge?” asked Joshu.

“Yes, I have,” replied the monk.

“Then you had better wash your bowl,” said Joshu.

With this, the monk gained insight.